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Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Alex | Email Max JOE BIDEN is on the cusp of the most pronounced advancements in gun policy in a generation. And much of it will have happened with him applying a light touch. The likely confirmation of a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives for only the second time in the bureau’s history, along with the potential passage of bipartisan gun and mental health legislation next week ( though that may now be a bit up in the air), illustrate the dichotomy defining Biden’s presidency. He quietly enjoys pockets of success in an era defined by polarization. He oversaw a relatively drama-free hike of the debt ceiling. He put his John Hancock on an infrastructure bill. And he’s signed bipartisan bills on Postal Service reform, the formal criminalization of lynching , economic innovation, combating Asian hate crimes and enhancing veterans benefits. On Thursday, the Senate passed legislation to bring health care benefits to service members who were exposed to burn pit toxins — a bill near and dear to the president’s heart due to his belief that his son BEAU was among the afflicted. But Biden is also increasingly playing a supportive role in these political dramas despite being cast as the lead actor. Some of this is a calculated decision that distance from the legislative process enhances prospects of success. Having led the failed gun reform effort under BARACK OBAMA, Biden chose this go-around to let senators negotiate while his team kept tabs. When he did give a primetime address, the Hill viewed it as slightly counterproductive and mostly immaterial. But it yielded two results. The first was the creation of a framework that fell short of what Biden wanted but well beyond the do-nothing status quo. The second was the further cementing of the perception of a president shepherding progress rather than sculpting it. That perception’s been increasingly forced elsewhere. Inflation may be the main ingredient in the president’s current downfall. But his team points to Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL as the one to solve the matter. His aides may obsess over high gas prices. But this week’s action was a stern letter encouraging the CEOs of leading oil companies to ostensibly throw the country a bone. Biden may have pledged to make MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, Saudi’s crown prince, a “pariah” for his role in dismembering Washington Post journalist JAMAL KHASHOGGI. But he will now meet with him in hopes of getting help on a variety of fronts, including those pesky prices at the pump. “The trip to the Middle East is an attempt to move beyond adolescence and a more balanced approach,” said BRIAN KATULIS, vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute. “None of the actors in the Middle East are great. But they’re a factor. And you just have to deal with it.” To a degree, this makes Biden just like every president before him. The Fed is independent. Energy markets aren’t altered by presidential decree. There is no all-powerful chief executive who can shape global affairs or bend Congress to his will. The Green Lantern theory of the presidency is a myth. But it also is a contrast from how Biden started early on in his tenure in the Oval. His team scripted those early months expertly. They found success, not through triangulation or strategic distance, but by building legislative momentum. “He’s smiling while he steamrolls,” was how HOWARD DEAN, the former Democratic National Committee chair, put it to me . Even their stumbles (mainly, the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan) were done on their terms. Democrats now see the Biden presidency differently — more reactive than decisive. That’s not necessarily bad. Biden’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has earned widespread praise for his ability to unite the western world while keeping the conflict from spiraling out of control. On the domestic front, he could still get major components of his climate legislation through a mix of perseverance and accommodation.. But some Democrats also argue that the approach has hurt the White House, having left Biden himself in a place a president doesn’t necessarily want to be…. humbled. “He’s at the point in his presidency that made me think of the Eminem song ‘Lose Yourself’ and the line that goes, ‘snap back to reality, whoop there goes gravity,’” said Katulis, who co-edits the Liberal Patriot with fellow Democratic think tank types. “These problems he has right now, you could see this coming down the pike with inflation, his legislative agenda stalled, his attempts to jumpstart voting rights. A lot of things just got stuck in the mud.” PROGRAMMING NOTE: West Wing Playbook will be off Monday for Juneteenth. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday. Try not to miss us too much. TEXT US — Are you TONA BOYD, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND SPECIAL COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous if you’d like. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com or you can text/Signal/Wickr Alex at 8183240098.
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